Barcelona include US rising star in Champions League roster

The draw for the 2023–24 UEFA Champions League was held last Thursday in Monaco. After that, clubs finalized their squads for the biggest club competition.

Thanks to some shrewd financial maneuvering, Barcelona signed a few new players by Deadline Day. In preparation for this year’s UCL group stage, they have finally announced their roster.

Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo, two recent additions to the team, head the list the club posted on their website. On the other hand, many people seem to be interested in the young American goalie for Barcelona, Diego Kochen.

Diego Kochen can learn behind Barcelona star Ter Stegen

The new UEFA Champions League group stage kicks off on Sep. 19. The 17-year-old talent may soon become a name to watch in Europe’s top club tournament. Kochen will serve as the third-string goalkeeper behind Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Inaki Pena. Barring a major change, Diego Kochen will be on the bench for Barcelona’s games against Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk and Royal Antwerp.

After being called up to the first squad for the first time in the spring, Kochen participated in a training session when striker Robert Lewandowski scored a goal against him. While Xavi’s unbeaten La Liga squad has only played four games so far, he has been listed on the substitutes’ bench for three of them.

Who is this new USMNT goalkeeper?

Kochen has only played in five of the Under-17 team’s eight potential matches. Still, he is one of the brightest talents in American soccer. He earned a nomination for the 2022 U.S. Soccer Young Player of the Year award.

Kochen was born in Miami on March 19, 2006. As per the Catalan newspaper SPORT, he has been a shot-stopper ever since he was eight years old and had to step in for an ailing teammate.

His quickness, reflexes, and technical conceptions shone out when he was playing for Tecnofutbol in Catalonia. Then, Barcelona recruited him in 2019. Despite having a Peruvian mother and a Venezuelan father, Kochen has been active in youth-level USA teams.

PHOTO: IMAGO / NurPhoto